Former United States First Lady, Barbara Bush has died at the age of 92, triggering an outpouring of praise for the matriarch of a Republican family that was once at the apex of American politics.

Hailed by many as the most popular First Lady to preside at the White House, Mrs. Bush, who was First Lady from 1989 to 1993 passed away in the early hours of Wednesday after a long illness that led to a heart failure.

The Bush family had on Sunday said that her health was failing as she would no longer seek medical treatment for the congestive heart failure. She was subsequently being cared for at her home in Houston, Texas.

She was the second woman ever in American history to have her husband as president and then later see her son occupy the same office. She witnessed  both her husband, former President George H.W. Bush and son, George W. Bush sworn in as US Presidents.

Mrs. Bush’s outspoken nature and utter lack of pretence made her more popular, at times than her husband. She is widely regarded to have been the rock at the centre of one of America’s most powerful political families.

President Donald Trump was one of the first to pay tribute to Mrs. Bush, describing her as an “advocate of the American family.”

At 93, her husband who served as the 41st US President is the longest living American President. A statement from his office described her as a relentless proponent of family literacy.